Better Together
by verumficta
Summary: Merlin & Arthur. Arthur tries to woo Merlin; who simply things he's a prat albeit a very charming and handsome one.*Modern!College AU*


"Let's play a game, Merlin."

"No. Leave me alone."

"Plllleeeaaaasssseeeeee."

"_God damn it. _What do you want!"

"Come sit on my lap."

"Excuse me?"

"… When I saw iceberg! You go down."

Merlin shoots Arthur a disgusted look before picking up his books, moving forward several rows and sitting down. Arthur forces a laugh and a smile but he feels his heart sink and tears prick his eyes. He feels someone slide into the seat next to him as he leans his chin on his hand, paying no mind to the professor or anything else for that matter, apart from the dark haired man who sat exactly three rows down and four seats to the left.

Arthur sighed. So close yet so far.

Someone nudges him but he just peeks out of the corner of his eye, reluctant to look away from Merlin. He sees the object of his affections turn around slowly, catching his eye; Arthur sits up quickly, waving like a lunatic, his smile wide. Merlin's beautiful blue eyes widen before whipping back around to stare at the professor and whatever he's ranting about today. Arthur slumps back down into his seat, dejected.

"… Wow. You're whipped." His head snaps up, glaring at his stepsister, Morgana who sat next to him, her lipstick bright red and her hair in loose waves over her shoulders. He groans, cradling his face in his hands. "I don't know what to _do, _Morgana. He's so… He's so… and I'm just… me." She laughs, her dark purple nails pinching his cheeks as she cooed. "You. What, annoying, childish, affectionate, lovely, adorable Arthur? _Really. _What could be _possibly _want?"

The young Pendragon promptly sighs as he watches Merlin's friends sneak into the room late. His eyes narrows as that fellow with the long hair- Gwaine was it? Sat next to Merlin and swung an arm around his shoulder. He wanted to do nothing but hold Merlin in his arms and kiss his pale soft lips with his own. He wanted to do everything for Merlin, give him everything; his heart, his soul, his body… He sighs again, imagining what those fingers would feel like in his hair, tugging slowly and hard as he-

"Arthur!"

He jolts, coming back to reality as he falls out of his chair. From his place on the floor, he watches Gwaine and Will point and laugh at him as they exit the room, the professor apparently finished with his lecture. He blushes, scrambling to his feet as he sees Merlin linger for a little but after his friends left, his hand holding the door. Arthur couldn't quench the hope that rose inside him or the crazy smile on his face for that matter.

Merlin just did these things to him.

His dark blue eyes darted around, clearly uncomfortable. "You okay, Arthur?" He actually looks around for a second, his brain just couldn't comprehend that Merlin, _and his _Merlin actually cared if he was okay! Merlin was actually worried about him! Well… not worried, but Arthur would take what he could get. He has a loopy smile on his face as he gives him a thumbs up. "Yeah! I'm fine really, just clumsy is all." Arthur scratches the back of his head sheepishly as Merlin smiles at him. Arthur can feel his cheeks burning as Merlin turns to leave but not before nodding and saying, "Good. Just… be careful next time." He flashes him a smile and exits the room, leaving Arthur on the floor, his mouth wide open.

Arthur groans and just lies down on the floor, his arms over his head. He feels Morgana poke him in his side with one of her toxic purple nails and he lazily opens an eye. "What do you want now, Morgana? To torture me even more? Go _right _ahead. The universe isn't being particularly kind to me today." Morgana rolls her eyes. "You're not bloody _fifteen, _Arthur. Ask him out! Like the responsible adult you are. Well, that you're supposed to be and stop using those ridiculous pick up lines!"

Arthur pouts, moving his arms to pillow his head. "But I like them!" His stepsister raises her eyebrows, her lips twitching up in a smirk. "_Oh. _Because they're working _so _well for you aren't they?" Arthur glowers, his teeth gnawing on his bottom lip nervously. He hears Morgana sigh exasperatedly from his side as she ruffles his hair. "You're so lost, aren't you?" Arthur really can't do much else but nod. Morgana purses her bright red lips, her forehead crinkled as she thought. "Are you still doing that rose thing tomorrow for Valentine's Day, Arthur?"

He nods. What did that have anything to do with anything? His confusion must have been obvious and clear upon his face as Morgana just sighs and pulls her stepbrother out of the room to make preparations. How he even got into this prestigious college, she didn't even know. She doubted she ever would.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Arthur walks in as smiley and bright as always when he comes into class the next day but what catches Merlin's eye is the huge basket of roses he had with him. Why…? _Oh. _Merlin winces. Valentine's Day was the very bane of his existence. He didn't like roses, heart shaped boxes, goddamn angels with pointy ass arrows and those stupid cards that lit up and sang when you opened them. Merlin was just not into love; not anymore anyway, heartbreak did that to people. He winces as Arthur smiles at him, getting nearer and nearer by the second. His brain begins mapping out possible escape routes; over the desks and out the door maybe, or- Arthur passes him without so much as a pause.

Merlin is nothing if not confused. Arthur had been trying to 'win his affections', as he had so profoundly put it the first day Merlin had met him when he had loaned Arthur his favorite sweatshirt when the idiot spilled coffee on himself during the lesson when he had gotten so enthusiastic about the new medieval unit they were getting into. It was… cute; not that Merlin would admit it anyway. He absolutely finished and done with love, he has had his heart broken absolutely too many times. He did not need the pain. Merlin feels something pricking under his skin when he sees Arthur giving out the roses to everybody in their class of twenty-four. When a girl leans forward and kisses him straight on the mouth and he blushes; Merlin realizes with a start that the feeling… is jealousy. It had been so long; he hadn't recognized it.

The class was buzzing with excitement and happiness as girls clutched their rose to them, reading the personal notes Arthur had taken the time to write out for each and every person. The guys blushed and stammered while others simply laughed and nodded, thanking him; even Will and Gwaine did nothing to tease Arthur, which was mind blowing all on it's own level. His heart begins to beat faster, his pulse picking up when Arthur begins to walk down his row. _What does he say? How does he act? What if he blushes? _Merlin ducks his head when he realizes he already was. He smiles up tentatively at Arthur who simply grins back and passes right by him, on to the next person. Merlin is slack-jawed, his cheeks burning with shame and anger when Will nudges him. "Guess he doesn't want to waste one on someone's whose not interested, yeah?"

Merlin nods. Right. He was absolutely _not _interested in Arthur Pendragon. Which is exactly why he says nothing and simply sits in stony silence when said man came to sit next to him, basket by his feet. Merlin chances a look down, spotting one more rose in the basket and he feels his hope begin to grow, his lips beginning to twitch upwards in a small smile. But his hopes are dashed when Doctor Nimueh enters and Arthur skips over to her with the rose. He feels the anger prick behind his eyes, wasn't he worth it? Didn't he get one too? Or had Arthur finally seen how worthless Merlin is, how… expendable. "Happy Valentine's to you too, Mr. Pendragon. Now take your damn seat. You're disrupting the class, you clown." She laughs chucking a tissue box at Arthur's head as he hops back to Merlin's side.

As Nimueh began to teach, Merlin felt Arthur lean close to him; he could feel his hot breath on his cheek as he whispered. "Happy Valentine's day, Merlin." He clenched his fist together, turning around to glare at Arthur. "Do you even know the origins of Valentine's day? The bloodshed and massacres that took place, you obnoxious _prat! _The way men would chase women down the streets with raw animal hides soaked in blood and-" Merlin takes a deep shuddering breath before gripping his backpack strap tight and leaving the classroom, a shocked Arthur behind him.

Arthur's eyes wide, his mouth open slightly in shock as he turns back around to stare at the seat Merlin had only just evacuated. Gwaine simply shrugs, patting Arthur on the back. "He's been hurt." And those words were all it took for the young Pendragon to stumble out the door to look for his valentine. Well, he hoped he would be his valentine. He didn't want to think about what would happen if Merlin said no. It would hurt. A lot. Arthur rounds a corner, slamming into a teary eyed Merlin as he does so, spending both of them sprawling to the ground. "Oh my god. I'm sorry! I was just- You just left- I wanted to-" Merlin scowls at him but the effect is lost as a tear runs down his pale cheek. "What! To _humiliate_ me even further? To make me feel _worse_?" Arthur's mouth drops open. Why would the idiot even think that! "No! _No! _Of course not!" Merlin pushes himself up with an arm, his mouth still set in a scowl. "Oh really. Tell me Arthur, why did you give everyone roses?" The young Pendragon's answer is immediate, he's been doing it for years. "No one deserves to feel alone on Valentines Day." Merlin's eyes narrow as he bites his trembling lower lip. "…And I do?"

Arthur looks at Merlin, confused. "What! Of course not! What _are_ you talking about? Ugh. Here. Let me show you." Arthur pushes himself upright, offering a hand to the beautifully broken blue eyed boy in front of him. Arthur wants to be the one to put him back together, and he cannot help but smile when pale slender fingers intertwine with his own. Arthur pulls them into one of the spare music rooms, his palms over Merlin's eyes. "Go on. Look." He whispers, pulling his hands away as his love gasps. "What… What is this?" Merlin's eyes are wide as he takes in the flowers and the candles and… everything. "It's for you, you idiot." Merlin whirls on Arthur, his lips tugged up in a wide smile. _"Why!"_

Arthur lets out an exasperated sigh as he throws his arms up in the air. "I can't win with you, can I! I don't get you flowers, you get mad at me. When I get you flowers, you throw a fit. I don't see how-" Arthur is cut off by Merlin's lips meeting his. It's warm and heated, soft and gentle… it was so much better than Arthur ever thought it could be. He hadn't even dared to hope for this. When Merlin pulls away, his smile is wide and he pants softly into Arthur's ear as he whispers. "Why me? I'm… I'm not worth it." Arthur stills, his hands finding their way up to cup his love's cheek. He doesn't know what to say to tell Merlin he's wrong. But then he realizes he doesn't have to. He'll prove him wrong, just by being by his side, loving him, for as long as Merlin willed him to stay.

Merlin stares up at Arthur's smiling eyes and he almost understands, his smile reaching his own eyes; for the first time in a while. "Daffodils. _Unequaled love, you're the only one, the sun only shines when I'm with you." _Arthur picks up a Daffodil from among the hundreds that littered the room, along with azaleas, camellias, red chrysanthemums and jonquil's, to name a few. Arthur had gone sort of crazy on the language of flowers site the night before. Merlin blushes, his pale cheeks tinted a lovely pink. "What's next, Arthur? Are you going to serenade me?" Merlin teases, leaning close to peck Arthur on the lips. The Pendragon's smile is completely and utterly goofy as he mumbles against Merlin's lips. "Be my valentine?" His love smirks. "Of course." And leans in for another kiss before Arthur stops him. "Next year too?"

"Sure, Arthur."

"And the next?"

Merlin frowns up at him, but his lips were tugged up in an affectionate smile.

"Always, you prat. Now shut up and kiss me."

Arthur did as he was told, his smile wide, his heart singing as his lips molded with his lovers.

When they pull away, they are both delirious and smiling like the complete lunatics they are.

No one had ever accused them of being sane.

Arthur reaches down and pulls out his acoustic guitar as he watches Merlin's eyes widen comically.  
"About serenading you…"

"_Oh no_. No, you don't!"

"_There's no combination of words I can put on the back of a postcard. No song that I could sing, but I could try for your heart…"_

"_**Arthur!"**_

"_I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together. Mmmm. It's always better when we're together."_

"_**You prat."**_

"_Yeah, it's always better when we're together."_


End file.
